Pet Memorials

In Memory of Khow

While living in Thailand for several months in 1995, I had the good fortune to meet Khow—one of the thousands of homeless dogs roaming the streets of Bangkok. Khow and two other dogs lived in the parking garage beneath the apartment building where my husband and I lived. They ate whatever scraps were tossed down by the maids, security guards, and drivers--and drank dirty water from the buckets used to wash the cars of building residents.

Khow was in terrible shape even by street dog standards. He had been hit by a car and received no medical treatment. His left front leg had been broken and was now healed at an angle. His right eye was missing and an infected open wound remained. He was very thin, had little hair, was badly infested with lice, his soft teeth were worn down below the gum line, and you could smell him before you saw him. The skin on his hips was so thickly calloused from sleeping on concrete that it hung down on each side like an apron. Beneath this exterior, however, was a very gentle and sweet dog who was grateful for any kind word, gentle touch, or small handout.

During my stay in Bangkok, I fed him every day and arranged for necessary medical treatments such as vaccinations, neutering, eye surgery, and delousing. Unfortunately, since the apartment building did not permit pets inside--he continued to live with the other street dogs in the parking garage throughout this time. When I prepared to return to Virginia, I distributed cases of dog food to building residents and pleaded with them to continue feeding Khow and the other parking garage dogs. I desperately wanted to bring him home with me but my husband did not agree—so I returned home without him.

To make a very long story very short--ultimately my pleadings worked—and six weeks later Khow arrived at Dulles Airport via British Airways Air Cargo with a thick stack of paperwork attached to his crate. After six months of medical treatment and lots of food--he gained 30 pounds, the callouses disappeared, he grew a luxurious thick coat of white hair, and even learned to understand English. Khow continued to live with us in Alexandria with our two other dogs and one cat for seven years and three months before his death from kidney failure in 2003—at about the age of fourteen. His health had started to fail in the last eighteen months of his life requiring specialized care. Thanks to the compassionate and excellent treatment provided by his vet, Dr. Peter Farrell, his internist, Dr. Kathy Arrington, and his cardiologist, Dr. Braz-Ruivo--his quality of life was good until the last few weeks.

Although Khow has been gone for 2-1/2 years, the memories of him are still strong with everyone he met. He enchanted both adults and children with his very gentle nature and joy for living. He was always happy and seemed to delight in everything around him--people, dogs, cats, squirrels, birds, sunny days, snow, grass, or the smallest treat. He was a very special companion with a huge heart--and we miss him every day.